It has been three months since it happened but the scene still haunted her. She could vividly imagine the blood streaked face of her best friend, Shauna and Shauna's boyfriend Martin, their lifeless eyes and the panic building in her mind. But the worst thing she remembered was Drake , her boyfriend gasping for air, choking blood, another thick red drop dripping from back of his hand. He held her hand, she tightened the grip as if preventing him from leaving.

She had felt the pain in her back, enough pain to cause black spots form in her eyes as soon as she moved, her bleeding wrist was hurting yet she had the immense pain of surviving. All three died on the spot but somehow she lived. She didn't want to survive, she knew it will bring guilt and nightmares, cold and darkness.

And her instinct didn't disappoint, she felt the loneliness and guilt constrict her from within. A tear escaped her eye and she clutched a bow and arrow shaped key chain, the last thing Drake gifted her. That night they met a hermit at last summer vacation party. A hermit? Friends said it will be fun to ask him about their destiny and she went along. But she never saw him because before her Drake went in.

She could hear what they talked about.

"Give this to someone oozing with the power of love," Hermit told Drake.

She should have entered next but Drake came out and gave her the keychain she now held, bow and arrow made of silver. No one saw the hermit that night and she lost her chance.

With trembling finger she attached the key chain to her locket as a pendant, she will not let the last piece of their memory go.

"Aislin, we have to leave now." Her mother called her down.

It was her day to meet with the shrink. Her mother believed if she didn't let her pain out she would suffer from post traumatic stress. But surprisingly she was fine. Yes, she felt the pain, the loss, the guilt that crushed her from within but mentally she was fine. Also after the accident, she even had her set of vivid, colourful dreams of the people and place she had never seen before.

The place she dreamed about was like out of a fantasy book, unusual people, dark, mysterious places, lingering shadows with a hidden purpose and then there was this tall silhouette which intrigued her. The dreams were getting more frequent each night and more surreal. This should have bothered her because in every sense this was not right but it didn't. Instead, these dreams brought about an unsaid calming effect on her.

The tall silhouette in her dreams had a magnetic pull on her. She couldn't see the face or had no idea who it belonged but nevertheless, she found herself looking for the face in the blurriness of her dreams.

"Aislin, hurry up." Her mother's voice resonated and shattered her calm.

She had turned moody and silent since the accident and unnecessary talking and noise bothered her.

She got up straightened her purple long top and looked in the mirror to make sure she didn't look as sleep deprived as she actually was. The dark circles under her eyes were prominent and sleep lingered in her powder blue eyes but otherwise, there was no sign that suggested she was a tiny bit insane.

"Are you feeling fine?" Her mother asked with obvious concern and a slight amount of wariness lest she broke into another fit of anger.

She felt guilty for letting her mother worry and go through her moody behaviour.

"I am totally fine just tired, had a lot of work." She said with a forced smile that actually made her cheeks hurt.

Her mother's eyes relaxed and she smiled back a little not sure of her smile was real. It was not so easy to fool a mother anyway.

She was the kind of girl you put in the brave category, she was not afraid of the dark, she was not scared of so called ghosts, she seldom cried and she could even throw in a punch when required.

But now she was faking the bravery. She was in no state to go and talk to a shrink, talk to anyone else for that matter of fact. It was too painful to relive that night even if it was in words.

Her mind went into an automatic trance as she sat in the car with her mother and plugged earphones into her ears. She needed to send the signal she was in no mood to talk. It was almost half an hour drive before the agony ended and she said an almost mumbling goodbye to her mother.

And she was here, she gulped down the uneasiness building in her. Her mother said it was not necessary for her to talk, she could talk when she feels like it. Maybe it was not necessary for her to speak anything and sit through the session.

She didn't need to open up.

She walked in the office of the shrink, Dr Andrew Wakefield, the board said.

"Aislin?" The woman sitting at reception said.

She nodded and was directed to a larger room. The room was beautiful, warm and comfortable with plush carpet, carved wooden furniture, not too much bright light and a calming fragrance. Despite herself, she felt the soothing effect seep in.

"Aislin, it is finally great to see you. Have a seat." Andrew was a mid-thirties doctor, pleasant looking with a genuine smile.

His eyes were a set of warm brown that made him look trustworthy. Reluctantly she sat down a leather couch, her fingers tangling and untangling her habit of discomfort.

"Relax ." Andrew said with a smile which she unintentionally countered with a frown.

"Purple is a good colour for you." Andrew complimented.

His words took her by surprise and she mumbled a thank you.

"Today we will not talk Aislin, today you will heal," Andrew said and walked towards his syringe counter.

"Huh?" Was all she managed to say.

"You look miserable, sleep deprived so let's get you to sleep first," Andrew said and Aislin understood.

She knew she was being sedated. She wanted to yell and stop him, she knew nightmares would follow or maybe too surreal dreams, she wanted no part of it but was tired, too edgy and weak.

She needed the sleep and even before she could respond, she felt the slight prick on her upper arm.

"You need rest Aislin, then we can talk. I am sure you have lots to tell me." Andrew said and rubbed off the area he pricked with a cotton ball.

It took few seconds for the sedative to work as she felt the dizziness over power her already tired senses. Her mind went on high alert, she desperately hoped for sleep to come and yet fought back the arrival of dreams that would follow if only she could get a dreamless sleep... just this once.

Her thought process broke as her lids failed to rebel the pull and came crashing down causing her to finally fall asleep.

And not disappointing her, came the dreams. She gasped lightly as she made sense of her surrounding and sighed in relief. She was not living the night of the accident , she was not reliving the nightmare.

But she was in that surreal dreams of her in which she felt the burden of survival slip away and a cold yet calm feeling course through her. And for the first time, her surroundings were not colour deprived. 

***

Faster than I expected :D Update! Here is an insight on the girl :)

Since this is the start I am pretty nervous so let me know whatever you think!

Enjoy!